AEG's downtown NFL stadium approved by Los Angeles City Council

Following a City Hall hearing packed with supporters and sprinkled with sports stars and multimillionaires, Los Angeles City Council members enthusiastically backed a plan for a $1.5 billion football stadium and convention center hall in downtown.

By a vote of 12-0, the council members approved the environmental impact report for Anschutz Entertainment Group's 72,000-seat stadium and adjoining city convention center hall. The move paves the way for construction of the stadium - if a professional football team agrees to relocate to Los Angeles.

The hearing drew a colorful crowd, including Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, former NFL quarterback Rodney Peete, dozens of high school football players, construction workers, the wealthiest man in L.A. and housing advocates in matching orange shirts who are fighting the project.

By backing the stadium and convention plan, city officials showed their strong political support and deep trust of AEG - a company with an uncertain future since it was put up for sale last week.

Before they voted, council members repeatedly talked about both the desire to bring back a professional football team and to create jobs.

Councilman Paul Koretz downplayed the prospect of football in favor of the expected jobs, calling the stadium development "the economic development of our generation."

"I don't think we can cut our way out (of the recession)," Koretz said. "I don't think we can tax our way out of it...the jobs and the business that will result will bring us out the recession."

The project has had widespread political support since it was proposed nearly two years.

Under orders from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, city staff have been working with AEG's lawyers on the deal, which calls for the city to issue $391 million in bonds to pay for the new convention center hall.

The council's approval of the EIR starts the clock ticking on numerous fronts. Under special legislation passed last year, opponents have 30 days to file lawsuits over the project.

Additionally, parent company Anschutz Co. is seeking a buyer for AEG, now listed for sale. And AEG is seeking a football team to move to L.A. to complete the stadium deal.

"To the NFL, to (NFL Commissioner) Roger Goodell, L.A. is open for business, bring football back to L.A," AEG President and CEO Tim Leiweke, the architect of the stadium project, said at the hearing.

Drawing much attention, Los Angeles billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong, one of the potential bidders for AEG sat in the front row, near Leiweke. Additionally, Hollywood film producer and real estate developer Steve Bing also attended the hearing.

Both quietly left after the vote, but their presence sent the message that deep-pocketed potential buyers are watching the stadium deal.

The audience overwhelming supported the project, but the largest criticism came from Play Fair Farmers Field, a group suing the state over the special legislation crafted for AEG that fast-tracks any lawsuits challenging the project's EIR.

Many of the coalition's members spoke about the environmental impacts of the project, and argued that by approving the EIR, the city was failing to deal with issues such as air quality and traffic.

"This isn't just about football," said Becky Dennison, co-executive director of Los Angeles Community Action Network. "You can't make billionaire owners of the NFL richer without looking out for us, too."

"Leiweke says `Trust us.' We don't even know who `us' is anymore," added Barbara Schultz, an attorney with the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, who is involved in the lawsuit. "This is a very big project that shouldn't be rushed."

State and city officials have largely been following AEG's time frame - which is to negotiate a deal with a NFL team by spring 2013 and break ground next summer.

A report this month issued by a group of architects and city staff recommended alternative designs for the L.A. Convention Center hall, saying the creation of a tunnel under the hall along Pico Boulevard is "a flaw in the proposal from an urban design perspective." The report suggested exploring designs that would have cost more money, and delayed the project. | See photo gallery.

At Friday's hearing, city planners showed updated renderings of the tunnel, which now include lighting along the wall, all of which should "brighten the way," said John Wickham, with the Chief Legislative Analyst's Office.

If built, Los Angeles will join other cities with downtown football stadiums, such as Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis, or Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. Both projects have pushed pedestrian, development and transit issues to the forefront in those cities.

City Councilman Bernard Parks, who has tried unsuccessfully over the last decade to bring the NFL to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, took the long view of Friday's vote.

Stadium deals don't excite the NFL much, he said, because the league has seen so many cities offer proposals for football projects.

What the league likes, he said, are owners stepping forward to pay for deals.